The Bulldogs were trailing 12th-ranked South Carolina 4-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. But a leadoff homerun by Wes Rea gave MSU the pick-me-up it needed to rally for a 5-4 victory in game one of the series.

"Sometimes that's just what an offensive needs, a little spark like that," Rea said. "I don't know how many hits we had after that (four) but sometimes that's just what it takes and you've just got to get that going."

It was the Bulldogs fifth consecutive one-run victory, four of which were come from behind wins.

"We never stop," said MSU centerfielder C.T. Bradford. "We just stay calm throughout the whole game. Even if we're down, we know we've got a chance to get it back. That's just a credit to the guys having confidence every time they go to the plate."